Pharmaceuticals steal African knowledge and sell them back to the healers—turns case Chigora, Masocha, and Mutenheri 07.
Percyslage, Robert, Feddious, “The Role of Indigenous Medicinal Knowledge (IMK) in the Treatment of Ailments in Rural Zimbabwe: The Case of Mutirikwi Communal Lands.” Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 9, No.2)
The other danger that indigenous plants are facing is that of too much demand. One school of thought has therefore pointed that, “ Already urban dwellers are flocking to rural areas looking for herbs with nutritional and medicinal properties that suppress the impact of HIV/AIDS related illness… there has been over harvesting of the African Potato by the urban dwellers…”(Koro: 2005: 33) The traditional leaders interviewed said that indigenous plants played an important role in their daily socio-economic needs and that they are also sources of food for the communities, wherein lies the link between the nutritional and medicinal values of indigenous plants. Emmanuel Koro has pointed that unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies have continued to make super profits from the illegal exploitation of indigenous knowledge that establishes the nutritional and medicinal values of indigenous plants without benefiting sources of that knowledge. (Ibid). That being the case, indigenous people will find that the only way to use their old-age knowledge is to buy back from the big corporations. Brazil has some of the richest biodiversity in the world, however large multinational corporations have already patented more than half of the known plant species. (Http//www.globalissues.org). The developed world has put in place for themselves convenient patent laws as a system. The Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIP) instrument as a stick and the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the enforcing authority, theFirst Worldis seeking to ‘rob’ theThird World. (Ibid). In opposition to these intentions: “Patents and intellectual property rights are supposed to prevent piracy. Instead they are becoming the instruments of pirating the common traditional knowledge from the poor of the Third World and making it the exclusive “property” of Western scientists and corporations”. (Ibid). Such a system has resulted in countries of theThird Worldbeing weak to defend themselves in cases of bio-piracy because of the ways these developed countries are using to patent traditional knowledge. Due to bio-piracy, a number of food ingredients and plants especially those with medicinal value have been or have seen attempts to be patented by various biotech firms.
Bioprospecting kills biodiversity collapsing the environment
Jonathan B. Warner, Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington, 6
(“Using Global Themes to Reframe the Bioprospecting Debate”, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 13.2, http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/indiana_journal_of_global_legal_studies/v013/13.2warner.html)
In addition to the problem of neocolonialism, it is generally agreed that the threat of losing the world's biodiversity is growing.46 Biodiversity is important for at least two reasons.47 First, it is an "ecological theorem" that ecosystems that are more diverse are less vulnerable to destruction.48 Second, the loss of biodiversity means the loss of genetic information.49 The loss of genetic information, in turn, may result in the loss of "useful templates"-for example, DNA-that may hold keys to medicinal progress.50 Bioprospecting may threaten biodiversity in that it leads to the "overuse"-that is, widespread gathering to the point of depletion-of particular bioresources.51 Further, bioprospecting may punish indigenous cultures at the interface with vast regions of biodiversity.52 These cultures are open about traditional [End Page 645] knowledge of bioresources only to have that knowledge monopolized to their detriment (or at least lack of benefit).53 Multinational firms rarely share the profits they gain from bioprospecting.54 As will be discussed below, profit sharing with indigenous peoples could provide an economic incentive for them to protect what biodiversity they can.55 Such incentives would encourage indigenous persons to engage in preservation without wholly denying bioprospecting efforts.56 Hence, those who are most familiar with the relevant ecological systems would be placed in a situation of active preservation to ensure minimal and controlled intrusion on their adjacent ecological systems.57
Chigora, Masocha, and Mutenheri 07.
Percyslage, Robert, Feddious, “The Role of Indigenous Medicinal Knowledge (IMK) in the Treatment of Ailments in Rural Zimbabwe: The Case of Mutirikwi Communal Lands.” Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 9, No.2)
The other danger that indigenous plants are facing is that of too much demand. One school of thought has therefore pointed that, “ Already urban dwellers are flocking to rural areas looking for herbs with nutritional and medicinal properties that suppress the impact of HIV/AIDS related illness… there has been over harvesting of the African Potato by the urban dwellers…”(Koro: 2005: 33) The traditional leaders interviewed said that indigenous plants played an important role in their daily socio-economic needs and that they are also sources of food for the communities, wherein lies the link between the nutritional and medicinal values of indigenous plants. Emmanuel Koro has pointed that unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies have continued to make super profits from the illegal exploitation of indigenous knowledge that establishes the nutritional and medicinal values of indigenous plants without benefiting sources of that knowledge. (Ibid). That being the case, indigenous people will find that the only way to use their old-age knowledge is to buy back from the big corporations. Brazil has some of the richest biodiversity in the world, however large multinational corporations have already patented more than half of the known plant species. (Http//www.globalissues.org). The developed world has put in place for themselves convenient patent laws as a system. The Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIP) instrument as a stick and the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the enforcing authority, the First World is seeking to ‘rob’ the Third World. (Ibid). In opposition to these intentions: “Patents and intellectual property rights are supposed to prevent piracy. Instead they are becoming the instruments of pirating the common traditional knowledge from the poor of the Third World and making it the exclusive “property” of Western scientists and corporations”. (Ibid). Such a system has resulted in countries of the Third World being weak to defend themselves in cases of bio-piracy because of the ways these developed countries are using to patent traditional knowledge. Due to bio-piracy, a number of food ingredients and plants especially those with medicinal value have been or have seen attempts to be patented by various biotech firms.
Bioprospecting kills biodiversity collapsing the environment
Jonathan B. Warner, Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington, 6
(“Using Global Themes to Reframe the Bioprospecting Debate”, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 13.2, http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/indiana_journal_of_global_legal_studies/v013/13.2warner.html)
In addition to the problem of neocolonialism, it is generally agreed that the threat of losing the world's biodiversity is growing.46 Biodiversity is important for at least two reasons.47 First, it is an "ecological theorem" that ecosystems that are more diverse are less vulnerable to destruction.48 Second, the loss of biodiversity means the loss of genetic information.49 The loss of genetic information, in turn, may result in the loss of "useful templates"-for example, DNA-that may hold keys to medicinal progress.50 Bioprospecting may threaten biodiversity in that it leads to the "overuse"-that is, widespread gathering to the point of depletion-of particular bioresources.51 Further, bioprospecting may punish indigenous cultures at the interface with vast regions of biodiversity.52 These cultures are open about traditional [End Page 645] knowledge of bioresources only to have that knowledge monopolized to their detriment (or at least lack of benefit).53 Multinational firms rarely share the profits they gain from bioprospecting.54 As will be discussed below, profit sharing with indigenous peoples could provide an economic incentive for them to protect what biodiversity they can.55 Such incentives would encourage indigenous persons to engage in preservation without wholly denying bioprospecting efforts.56 Hence, those who are most familiar with the relevant ecological systems would be placed in a situation of active preservation to ensure minimal and controlled intrusion on their adjacent ecological systems.57